Holidaying with Thailand's ethnic people

Jan 12, 2010, 9:42 GMT

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Most visitors to Thailand spend time admiring the temples of Bangkok or walking along the palm tree lined beaches of Phuket but do they get the chance to experience how Thais live? Foreigners who choose to take part in a home stay program will get the opportunity to gain insights into the everyday lives of Thais and visitors to the north of the country can even get a close look at the culture of the Karen and Shan ethnic peoples.

Commune authorities and special organisations that promote sustainable tourism are in charge of placing foreigners in the homes of Thailand's ethnic peoples. Children will enjoy living with ethnic families and can even visit kindergartens and schools in the host villages.

The village of Mae Klang Luang village is still clothed in darkness as, just before four in the morning, domesticated pigs that spent the night lounging beneath the stilts of the neighbouring house begin to grunt and roosters make their presence felt.

Just after five Kalayanee begins using a wooden rice husker to remove the seed from the chaff to prepare her family's daily ration of rice. Her father opens the door to the bathroom where he splashes cold water on his face to wake up. At six o'clock the sun begins to rise.

Smoke rises slowly from the kitchen stove of the Pongtwo family. Woman of the house Sangworn places dishes containing rice, bell pepper, pork, fish and fried eggs with vegetables on basmati mats. The village of Mae Klang Luang village is in Doi Inthanon National Park, a 90-minute drive from the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

'Mae Klang Luang is among the 20 best places in Thailand that supply accommodation, guest houses, a varied country lifestyle and sustainable tourism to foreign families,' says Potjana Suansri from the Community Based Tourism Institute (CBTI) in Chiang Mai. About 20 families in the village of 300 people provide homes to foreign visitors.

In the meantime the Pongtwo's guest has risen from his mattress and it is seven o'clock. Last night's evening meal prepared by the Karen family was delicious. The man of the house was generous with rice schnapps which the guest bought in the village shop for the equivalent of 1.70 dollars for a 0.7 litre bottle. This morning breakfast consists of a small variation on the previous day's meal and the same will be served at midday.

The people of Mae Klang Luang are friendly and everyone greets everyone else. Most guests are delighted by the peaceful and safe atmosphere. Locals grow coffee, flowers, breed fish and crabs -- 'all projects that were initiated by the Thai royal family.'

The view across the village's paddy fields and palm trees to the next mountain is spectacular. No-one is very poor in the village as nature and the Karen's farming way of life mean there is enough to eat. The Pongtwos have three mopeds and a satellite dish that supplies 50 TV channels stands in the backyard with the ducks and chickens. Their living room is simply furnished with a television, lots of mats and three plastic baskets of laundry.

Tables, chairs and cupboards are not used by the Karen and shelves only exist in kitchens. Women tend to wear the traditional long garments of embroidered blouses and a type of wraparound skirt.

Guests are allowed to help out during harvest time and at fishing out crabs from the ponds in the paddy fields. There are waterfalls in the rain forest and small temples. The villages' kindergartens where children are learning the Thai alphabet turn into lively places when foreigners arrive.

The local commune, the government and the CBTI are trying to maintain a balance between the traditions of the local ethnic groups and the tourists' needs. 'Everyone is welcome who respects our way of life,' says Mae Klang Luang's mayor, Pongsap Alaipraison.

Other mountain peoples such as the Akha, Lahu and Shan also live in northern Thailand close to the cities of Mae Hong Song, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Akha families in the village of Huai Kee Lek offer foreigners homes while Shan families in Mae Lana are also accepting visitors.

It is also possible to spend time with families on islands where beaches have white sand such as on Koh Yao Noi in southern Thailand. A bed and meal can usually be had for just 300 Bath, or nine dollars.

Many villages in the Home Stay Program are organised by the Tourism Development Office. 'We train one local person in each of the communes who can communicate with guests in English,' says Pairaya Juwattanasaran from the development office in Bangkok. That means there is no need to pay for the services of an interpreter during your stay. 'We encourage cultural exchange, friendships and encounters but no commercial tourism.'

However, most information is only available in Thai as the =development office has a policy of only slowly encouraging Western tourists. The office also organises stays with ethnic families, mainly in the north-east of the country.